TruthOut10
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- Dec 3, 2012
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Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) blasted National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierres plan to put armed guards in school, worrying that it would lead to an Orwellian police state in America. Paul, a libertarian most famous for his numerous presidential runs, connected the NRA proposal to onerous TSA regulations in statement on his official website:
Furthermore, do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras, metal detectors, X-ray scanners, and warrantless physical searches? We see this culture in our airports: witness the shabby spectacle of once proud, happy Americans shuffling through long lines while uniformed TSA agents bark orders. This is the world of government provided security, a world far too many Americans now seem to accept or even endorse. School shootings, no matter how horrific, do not justify creating an Orwellian surveillance state in America.
While Pauls right to highlight the troubling implications of the NRA proposal in terms of expanding police presence and power, the armed guards plan also wouldnt work as a practical matter. Schools with armed guards have been the victims of several mass shootings. There probably arent enough adequately trained police officers to do the job. And more guns in schools could very well make the problem worse.
GOP Rep: NRA Plan To Put Guns In Schools Would Create 'Orwellian Surveillance State' | ThinkProgress
Furthermore, do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras, metal detectors, X-ray scanners, and warrantless physical searches? We see this culture in our airports: witness the shabby spectacle of once proud, happy Americans shuffling through long lines while uniformed TSA agents bark orders. This is the world of government provided security, a world far too many Americans now seem to accept or even endorse. School shootings, no matter how horrific, do not justify creating an Orwellian surveillance state in America.
While Pauls right to highlight the troubling implications of the NRA proposal in terms of expanding police presence and power, the armed guards plan also wouldnt work as a practical matter. Schools with armed guards have been the victims of several mass shootings. There probably arent enough adequately trained police officers to do the job. And more guns in schools could very well make the problem worse.
GOP Rep: NRA Plan To Put Guns In Schools Would Create 'Orwellian Surveillance State' | ThinkProgress